


Comet

by ameliagoodkind



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/F, Major Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Ratings: R, Relationship(s), Sharing a Bed, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:48:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29062350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliagoodkind/pseuds/ameliagoodkind
Summary: Dani Clayton is newly engaged to Edmund O'Mara, but something is missing. Something has always been missing, but she has spent the entirety of her life in this small beach town in Vermont she calls home, repressing any feelings of longing for anything beyond Edmund and the world she's grown accustomed to. Until one day a new hire, a gorgeous brunette gardener, arrives at her place of employment, and makes her question whether she can continue feeling broken for the rest of her life, or if she will finally allow someone else to help her feel whole....
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Edmund O'Mara, Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 23
Kudos: 56





	1. Feet in the Sand

Dani Clayton stood with her feet firmly planted in the sand, letting the ocean tide lap gently at her ankles. With each pull of the waves she sank deeper and deeper into the ground itself and for a fleeting moment she wished it would swallow her entirely, or that the waves would carry her out to sea and she’d be as lost physically as she was in every other sense of the word. 

“Danielle?”

Her fiancé Edmund’s voice broke through the cracks of her dark thoughts and brought her unwillingly back to reality. She heard him call for her from the front porch of the quaint beach cottage they shared on their own private, tucked away ocean pier in Vermont.

“Can you get started on dinner? I had such a shit day at the office and never got a break for lunch so I’m starving.”

Of course he didn’t ask about her day in return to offering details of his own, didn’t pay any mind to the fact that the woman he supposedly loves was standing ankle deep in the ocean on a chilly fall evening. Edmund was a good man, but he was entirely oblivious to the fact that his soon to be wife didn’t bear the resemblance to his high school sweetheart that he wanted to allow himself to believe she did. He seemed perfectly content to carry on the happily ever after they’d planned together at 10 years old, and Dani felt compelled to carry along with him.

So she played the part of the dutiful housewife. She cooked (well, attempted to, if she was being honest chicken soup was about the only recipe she’d fully mastered), she cleaned, and she kept up the house as best she could. 

“I can be this,” she’d catch herself willing, I can be this way. I can be a wife. I can love him.” It was a mantra she’d repeated to herself so often it was almost engrained, patterned into the fabric of her very skin like the drunken mistake of the tattoo that colored her lower back. 

“I’ll be right there darling!” Dani replied almost sickeningly sweetly in return to Edmund, as she slowly ripped her feet one by one from the clutches of the sand. She could feel how desperately it clung to her, how it begged her to stay, begged her to go anywhere else but back to that house and to him. But in she went.

...


	2. New Hire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani meets Jamie, the new gardener hired on at Bly and can't help being intrigued by someone so different from anyone else she'd known before.
> 
> ...

The next morning, Dani was pulling up to the estate where she worked when she noticed an unfamiliar truck parked in the driveway. She pondered on it for a moment as she hadn’t heard word of any new help being hired.

Dani worked as a nanny for a wealthy English family at a hauntingly massive manor called Bly. There she cared for two children: Miles, who was 10 and Flora, who was 8. The children’s parents had passed tragically, it was the talk of all the busybodies in town, so Dani had decided to take on the duties of caring for them as a break away from the hectic lifestyle of teaching a full class of students like she’d done for years prior. 

Hannah Sharma, the keeper of the house greeted Dani at the door. “Morning dear! Rebecca has woken the children and headed home, and Owen has fixed them a lovely breakfast. There’s still some left for you on the counter if you fancy.”

Rebecca was the evening nanny, she looked after the children when Dani’s shift was through and stayed with them overnight. Owen was the house cook as well as Hannah’s husband. They had such a beautiful love story Dani had long admired, from meeting in Paris to building a life together here in America. 

“Thank you Hannah, good morning to you as well!” Dani replied followed by the question, “Hey, whose truck is that in the driveway?”

As if in direct response to her question, a gorgeous, dark curly haired brunette woman sauntered out from the kitchen. Dani immediately felt her pulse quicken, though she couldn’t quite place why. 

“So’s this our own Mary Poppins eh?” the brunette’s words tumbled out in a heavy northern British accent that Dani could only place from being obsessed with foreign films as a child. She could place nearly any accent imaginable. 

“H-hi...” Dani muttered in an embarrassingly stuttered reply. “Yes, I’m Dani.”

Dani? No one called her that. She grew up in a world of prim and proper. 'Dani' was far too slovenly for even a nickname, though she’d always been drawn to it herself. But she wouldn’t dare reveal so, not even to Edmund, especially not to Edmund, so why was she suddenly blurting it out now, to a complete stranger no less? 

“Dani...?” she heard Hannah mumble with a slight smirk of approval which Dani followed with a quick side eye as if to retort “Don’t say a word about it.” Luckily, the other woman hadn’t seemed to notice the exchange.

“Nice to meet you Dani. Name’s Jamie.” She asserted while reaching out her hand for a shake. “Though I think ‘Poppins’ may suit you better the way I hear you manage to wrangle the little rugrats around here.”

Dani had never met a woman as bold as Jamie. The only women in her life were the demure, uppity type, and then here was Jamie, first day on the job already acting like she owned the place. Maybe that was why she was so instantly drawn to her.

“We’ve hired Jamie on as the new groundskeeper.” Hannah’s words startled Dani out of what she hadn’t realized was far too long to have been staring at someone she’d just met without saying a word..

“We’re hoping she can fix up that disaster of an old greenhouse in the back. Dani... (there was that smirk of approval again at her newly admitted nickname) would you mind showing Jamie where it is, love? I’ve got house chores to tend to.”

“Uh, sure.” Dani replied with an anxious lilt to her voice. Why was she so nervous? She was usually so put together. Get yourself together, she willed.

“Follow me.” She stated with at least an allusion of confidence this time.

She led Jamie back to the greenhouse, a term which could only loosely be applied to the mess that lay before them. Wilted plants and broken planters cluttered the room. The windows were clouded and the internal fixtures had long since rusted over.

“Blimey,” Jamie said with a laugh. “I’ve really got my work cut out for me eh, Poppins?” 

Dani blushed at the name the brunette had given her. 

“But I always say, every living thing grows out of every dying thing. So really all I see here is a room full of potential.” She followed with a look of excitement as she spread out her arms and squinted her eyes, as though she were an architect plotting out her agricultural blueprint. 

“I wish I could look at a room full of broken things with the same optimism as you.” Dani responded with a more solemn tint to her tone than intended.

“I don’t believe anything is ever really broken. Not permanently anyway. Wilted plants need nothing more than a little bit of sun, splash of water and they’re good to go. But plants are easy. It’s people I’ve always found more complicated.”

Dani couldn’t find the words to follow. All she could do was marvel at the way the other woman looked at the world. Everything about Jamie was like a breath of fresh air. And she was suddenly painfully aware of just how long she’d been holding her breath before now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a lot of introductions so I know it was a bit boring but bear with me, I have so much more planned!


	3. Greenhouses & Girlfriends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani and Jamie get closer through regular meetups in the greenhouse where Dani learns something surprising about Jamie.

Meeting Jamie in the greenhouse became a daily occurrence. Their chats were always lighthearted, joking and poking fun at each other. It became the best part of Dani’s days, but she continued to push away any deeper meanings as to why that was. 

One afternoon, Dani was bringing Jamie a cup of (admittedly poorly made) tea, and the moment she entered the greenhouse she knew something was off. Jamie’s usual bright eyes and tilted half smile were replaced with a much darker expression. 

“Jamie?” She questioned tentatively. 

Jamie half-jumped, startled out of her deep thoughts. “Oi, Poppins, didn’t see you there.” She replied sullenly. 

“Everything ok?” Dani followed softly.

“Aye, just got an unexpected call this morning I haven’t been able to shake since. It was my ex-girlfriend. Apparently she’s come round from having utterly shattering my heart and decided she’s ready for another shot. Piece of shite doesn’t deserve one far as I’m concerned.”

Girlfriend. Did she say ex... girlfriend? Since their chats had revolved around topics of lighter fare thus far, past lovers had yet to come up. Dani wasn’t entirely sheltered, she’d met other gay people before but none she’d known personally. None like Jamie. 

“Oh...” was all Dani could manage to mutter in response. “I’m sorry.” She tried. “If it’s worth anything, from what I’ve learned of you so far, your heart doesn’t seem capable of shattering entirely. You said it yourself, nothing is ever really broken.”

Dani found herself reaching out her arm to touch Jamie’s lightly. Jamie took her own hand and covered Dani’s. The gentle touch made Dani’s heart drop into the pit of her stomach. No touch from Edmund had ever made her feel like that. Not one. 

“It’s worth an awful lot, actually Poppins. Thank you.” Jamie looked up at Dani and they held eye contact for what felt like an eternity. Dani’s heart was beating so loudly she was suddenly convinced Jamie must have been able to hear it, and that worry brought Dani crashing back to reality. She pulled her hand away so abruptly it left Jamie looking bewildered and concerned, wondering if she may have somehow hurt the blonde with her touch. 

“I’ve.. uh, got to get back to the kids.” Dani mumbled in excuse as she turned and walked swiftly from the greenhouse without another word, leaving Jamie alone as she continued to puzzle over what had just occurred. 

•••


	4. Wine for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani's car won't start so Jamie gives her a lift home as a storm is beginning, that ends up leaving the two stuck at Dani's house with nothing but wine and each other for company.

Dani managed to avoid Jamie for the rest of the day until evening, when she went out to her car to head home but found the battery dead. If that wasn’t frustrating enough, it had started raining, and the wind was picking up quick. 

She raced back towards the manor and nearly knocked Jamie over as they collided in the front doorway.

“I’m so sorry!” Dani exclaimed while steadying Jamie with her arms. Jamie instinctively covered Dani’s hands with her own again, but this time Dani pulled away even faster than before.

“No worries, love.” Jamie responded, inquisitively studying Dani’s expression as she tried to understand the blonde’s sudden aversion to even looking her in the eyes. “Where were you off to in such a rush?”

“My car won’t start.” Dani replied defeatedly. “And with this storm picking up it would be hours before I could get a tow truck, if I could get one at all.”

“Shite it is looking dreadful out there isn’t it? Let me give you a lift Poppins, I don’t mind, really.” She responded, still searching for some connection in Dani’s eyes but finding none. 

Dani considered the potential repercussions of allowing Jamie to drive her, but couldn’t come up with anything significant. It was just a ride home, nothing more, and the last thing she wanted was to be stranded here in this looming manor in the middle of a thunderstorm. 

“Sure...” She responded slowly. “That, that would be great, thank you Jamie.” She managed a slight smile, attempting to show she appreciated the gesture while trying in vain to make it clear their connection ended there. It ended with a ride. With a friendship. But who was she actually trying to convince of that, Jamie? Or herself? 

The drive was filled with silence inside the car, made less uncomfortable only due to the pounding racket of the rain outside. Dani hadn’t seen a storm this bad in years, it was already flooding side streets and toppling trees. By the time they reached Dani’s cottage Jamie’s car was fully swaying in tune with the wind.

It was clear to Dani that Jamie wouldn’t be safe heading back to her own flat. She lived a few miles outside of town and would never make it there in one piece. Dani had no choice but to invite her in. Luckily, Edmund was on a business trip for the weekend, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about his approval like she seemed to need for everything else she did.

“Jamie, you can’t safely drive home in this weather. If you’d like, you can stay til it dies down.” She offered.

“You sure, Poppins?” She replied, still wondering about their earlier interactions and what had gone wrong. 

“Absolutely.” Dani said back with more confidence than she actually felt. “No problem at all.”

Even the quick run from the car to the house left both women soaked, so Dani offered Jamie some clothes to change into.

Jamie couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them. “I’ll admit Poppins, pastel jumpers and floral trousers are a bit outside of my Dungaree comfort zone, but I do appreciate the gesture.”

Dani finally allowed herself to lighten up for the first time since their moment in the greenhouse, and decidedly joined in with a laugh. “I’m sure I could locate a bright velvet skirt and tights if you’d prefer!” She replied in jest. 

“No no,” Jamie joked back. “These will suit me just fine thank you.”

Dani’s smile remained as Jamie headed to the hall restroom to change. She allowed her gaze to linger, noting that Jamie had left the door cracked open behind her. She didn’t mean to invade her privacy but she couldn’t seem to pull herself away as she witnessed the brunette remove her top, revealing the gentle curves of her back. Dani suddenly had a fleeting thought, of wishing she could reach out and touch the other woman. Feel the softness of her skin. The warmth of her body...

What am I doing? She broke herself out of her stupor and forced herself make her way to the kitchen instead. 

Jamie met her there moments later, looking hilariously adorable in Dani’s colorful garb. Dani repressed a grin as she offered her a drink.

“Would you like a beer, a cocktail...?” She listed, unsure what Jamie’s preferences were.

“Got any wine?” Jamie replied. 

“I think we have a couple bottles.”

“Perfect, one for you and one for me.” She responded with an almost devious tone that Dani attempted to ignore, but she was finding that her attempts to shut down and lock up the way everything Jamie did made her feel, were becoming more and more impossible to simply ignore. She grabbed the bottles, and followed Jamie into the living room. 

•••

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what drinking together could possibly lead to...


	5. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drinking leads to a game of truth or dare, which leads to Dani revealing more than intended.

•••

They must have been drinking an hour or so. Without keeping track, the time was marked only by the continuous rage of the storm outside.

“Ever played truth or dare, Poppins?” Jamie proposed with that devilish smirk Dani was becoming both fond and wary of.

“Not since college, and even then I was never the party game kind of girl.” Dani replied with a laugh, as if that wasn’t obvious enough already.

“This storm isn’t letting up anytime soon. What’s say we play for a bit to pass the time eh? You up for it party girl?” She joked.

Dani couldn’t bring herself to deny that grin. “Fine!” She giggled, noting the tipsy tone of her voice. “But you’ve gotta go first. Truth, or dare?”

“Hmmm..” Jamie pondered. “Dare.”

“I dare you to stick an ice cube down your, well my, shirt.”

“Jesus Poppins what are we, 12?” She cackled at the ridiculous request. But Jamie Taylor wasn’t one to back down from a dare. So she did as she was told and confidently tossed an ice cube from her drink down her front without hesitation. 

“Blimey that’s freezing!” She leapt up, shaking it out as quickly as she could, the confident facade broken as she hopped up and down.

The two women broke into a fit of laughter over being a pair of 25 year old adults acting like a couple of kids.

The night continued that way for a while, silly dares followed by lighthearted truths. But as it got later, the women had unintentionally gravitated closer and closer together, and the requests had gotten deeper and deeper.

“Truth.” Said Dani.

“Alright, Poppins, I want to know the one thing in the world, that scares you most.”

Dani’s immediate, unwanted thought was that this was, this was what scared her most. Sitting here so close to a woman she was so drawn to, on a level she had never allowed herself to feel for anyone else before. It was a question she couldn’t answer. She wasn’t ready to put it into words.

“I want to switch, I want a dare.” She offered as a way out. 

“Fine I’ll allow it, instead, I dare you to DO the thing that scares you most.”

Something snapped inside of Dani in that moment. Something she knew right away could never be repaired, not entirely anyway. She felt herself let go of everything she had been clinging onto with such intensity, and turned that intensity towards Jamie instead, catching her off guard with a kiss.

There was a moment of confused hesitation, before Jamie kissed her back, hard. The kiss deepened as she pulled the blonde closer, entangling her hands in her hair, intertwining their bodies as the energy shifted between them into something all at once terrifying, and magical, and utterly life-altering. 

Edmund.

His face flickered in Dani’s mind, and that was enough to break the spell. Dani pulled away as she got up, and not being able to offer a word of explanation, she offered Jamie the couch instead. Without even waiting for a response she headed upstairs, and sank to the floor the moment her door shut behind her. 

She wrapped her arms around her middle and held tight, as though keeping herself physically together might provide her mind some sense of solid ground, to brace against the the backflips it was doing now. 

She should feel guilty, shouldn’t she? She should feel like this was wrong. But she didn’t, she couldn’t. Instead, she felt more right than she ever had before. She touched her hand to her lips where Jamie’s had been not moments before, and she kept them there, kept herself entangled in the thought of Jamie as she finally drifted to sleep.


	6. Feel This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani’s mind is cluttered with the events of the night before. She can’t sort them out without paying Jamie a visit.

•••

Jamie was gone when Dani awoke the following morning. She didn’t blame her, she must have looked ridiculous. Who blindsides someone with a kiss and then just, runs away?

Dani went about her morning routine as usual, trying to stay focused on her tasks, but couldn’t seem to keep her mind from drifting to thoughts of Jamie. She could still feel the soft touch of her lips, the tendrils of her hair as they brushed against her face, the curves of her body that felt so right molding into her own. The desire she had felt in that moment, the longing to -

“Fuck!” Dani was so consumed by her thoughts she hadn’t noticed her coffee cup overflowing as she poured. Now it had burned her hand and tinted her white pants beige. 

Get yourself together. You’re engaged. This was a mistake. You’d been drinking, you got caught up in the moment, but the moment’s over. 

As she had done for so many years, she willed it all away. Locked her true feelings up tight and allowed pieces of herself to disappear. She didn’t understand why she still couldn’t let go, but she did know that she had maintained a white knuckle grip on her picture perfect life for far too long to give it up now. She felt superglued, to a future she had chosen in her past, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be strong enough to break that bond. 

She had to speak to Jamie, had to apologize and explain. Jamie had the day off so Dani knew she’d be home. She gathered herself up, wrapped her hand in gauze, changed from her pants to the skirt she and Jamie had joked about the evening prior, and decided to pay her a visit before work.

When Jamie answered the knock on her flat door, Dani was greeted with a wide, crooked smile that made her feel as though she’d been punched in the stomach. It was obvious how relieved Jamie was to see her there. Luckily, Jamie’s following notice of Dani’s wrapped hand took the pressure off of an immediate discussion, and instead flipped the brunettes bright eyed demeanor into an overcast look of concern.

“Dani! What the bloody hell happened to you?” She questioned.

The level of worry in her voice was overwhelming. Dani wasn’t used to being treated with such attentive focus.

Jamie reached out her own hand to caress Dani’s, but Dani gently pushed it away.

“It’s just a small burn, and that’s not why I’m here.” Dani replied flatly, desperate to maintain a level tone and not let her emotions get the best of her.

“They why are you here?” Jamie questioned in return.

“I’m here to apologize. Last night was a mistake. I’m engaged and I was drunk and I didn’t think about what I was doing and who I would be hurting by doing it so I’m sorry but, I came to tell you nothing like that can ever happen again.” She professed this bluntly, hoping the directness would make her message clear.

“See, that’s your problem Poppins. You think too much. Why do you keep that lid screwed on so tight? Why don’t you ever just let yourself, feel?”

“What it is that I’m supposed to feel? If you’re so sure you know what’s best for me then tell me.” Her professionalism cracked and her reply came across almost a dare, mirroring their party game that now felt lifetimes away.

Jamie stepped forward until her face was only centimeters from Dani’s, which instantly caused Dani’s breath to hitch and her pulse to quicken. She could feel the heat of Jamie’s breath against her cheek. Jamie took her hand and grazed it along Dani’s outer thigh, then allowed it to travel further and tucked it under her skirt, her fingers quickly reaching tauntingly close to the center of Dani’s being. 

“Jamie...” Dani breathed out, barely audibly. Her desire clouded not only her thoughts in that moment but coated her voice in it too. 

“Feel this. Feel me touching you. I know you want to. I know you want me Dani.” Jamie pulled back slightly so Dani could see that her eyes had darkened with intensity. She was looking at Dani like a meal she wanted to devour. 

But Dani couldn’t. She couldn’t do this. She nearly jumped backward as she let Jamie’s hand drop down from beneath her skirt. 

“I’m sorry, Jamie. I have to go.”


	7. The Ex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani discovers who Jamie's ex-girlfriend is in a surprising turn of events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short because it's simply leading up to what you need to prepare yourselves for in the next chapter...

Work that day was nearly impossible to get through. Dani’s head was so wrapped up in thoughts of Jamie she could barely see straight. She’d never felt this way about anyone before, had never had that can’t eat can’t sleep kind of desire for another person. The word desire wasn’t even part of her vocabulary. She desperately longed for someone to talk to, someone who could help her understand how she was feeling, but she didn’t know who she could turn to. 

That evening, when Rebecca arrived for her shift, Dani questioned if she might be the one to reach out to. It seemed perfect, they had only spoken in passing on shift changes, so they weren’t close and therefore didn’t run in the same circles. There would likely be no chance of their conversation getting out to Dani’s friends or family.

As Rebecca greeted her, Dani shakily pulled her aside and asked if they could speak privately about something important. 

“Of course dear,” Rebecca replied with a look of curiosity. “What is it?”

Dani took a deep breath and let out a mess of precursors, wanting to gauge whether it truly was safe enough to share her most sacred truth.

“I know this is a lot to dump on someone you barely know, but you’re the only one I feel I can trust with this information because of that, but if this is all too much to ask of you, just know I’ll understand. I just, I don’t know where to turn, and I feel like if I don’t say this out loud to someone, anyone soon, I’ll go entirely insane.” Dani’s words had come tumbling out much more frantically than intended, and she immediately felt as though she’d made a mistake by Rebecca’s stunned expression in the silence that followed.

Rebecca quickly adjusted her demeanor though, to one of understanding, and offered that the two women retire to the parlor to speak further.

They sat in cushioned chairs across from one another, surrounded by a silence only intermittently broken up by the laughs of the children in the next room. 

“I know we aren’t close, but I give you my word, you can trust me with whatever this is. I’m here for you darling.”

With a sigh of relief at hearing exactly what she needed to, Dani spilled the entirety of the contents that had been swirling around in her mind for weeks now, or if she was being honest with herself, years. She explained about Edmund, about these new feelings she was experiencing with attraction to women, and how one woman in particular had seemed to change everything for her, irrevocably so, though she wouldn’t name who.

By the end of it all Rebecca was grinning, and Dani couldn’t place why. Her story had been anything but funny, she was miserable, so why was the other woman sitting there with an almost smirk spread across her face.

“Dani, did Hannah, or anyone else fill you in on my history with the gardener, Jamie?”

Dani nearly choked as her breath hitched at the mention of Jamie’s name. She hadn’t given any details specifically enough to point to the woman she was speaking of being Jamie, and what did Rebecca mean by history?

“N-no? What do you mean history?” She replied, trying and failing to hide her reaction to Rebecca’s response. 

“In a town like this,” Rebecca began, “a woman dating or even thinking of dating another woman is, as you seem to agree, not exactly something you run around spouting off to anyone who will listen. But Dani, Jamie is my ex-girlfriend.”


	8. Coat Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani, Jamie, a locked closet. Need I say more?

...

Dani’s mouth fell open, she couldn’t even attempt to conceal her reaction. 

“Your... e- ex... girlfriend?” She stuttered out. 

“Yes,” Rebecca replied, seemingly unfazed by Dani’s response as she now appeared lost in her own thoughts. “We dated for 2 years, but I messed everything up, I ruined my chances with someone incredible and I’ll never forgive myself for it. I thought she took this job because of me, to be closer and perhaps reconnect, so I reached out but I was wrong. It had been so long since we’d last spoken she didn’t even know I was employed here when she accepted the position.”

Dani’s head was spinning at the news. So it was Rebecca who had messaged Jamie that day in the greenhouse, she realized. It was Rebecca who had ‘shattered her heart’. She couldn’t form any thought coherent enough to reply to Rebecca but luckily the other woman excused herself with needing to return to the children, and promised they could speak again soon.

Dani wandered in a haze toward the direction of the door when she remembered she’d left her coat in the hall closet. When she made her way there she was shocked to find Jamie seemingly searching for something of her own.

“Jamie?” Dani asked quietly so as not to startle her.

Jamie spun around, bewildered by the blonde’s presence after her usual hours.

“What are you doing here? You had the day off.” Dani questioned.

“Left my rain jacket here.” The brunette replied. “Turns out we may be caught up in another storm by morning so I didn’t want to be without it. Realized it earlier but planned to wait to come in til I knew you’d be off. Don’t worry, Poppin- I mean, Dani. I got the message you want nothing more to do with me. Just let me find my coat, and I’ll be out of your way.” 

Even thinking of having nothing more to do with Jamie sent Dani into a panic. She couldn’t bear to lose the only thing that had ever felt right to her in her entire life. So she mustered every ounce of impulsivity she could garner, and pulled Jamie into the closet, locking the door behind them. 

“Dani what-“

Dani cut off Jamie’s protests with a deep kiss, backing her against the wall and pulling her waist in close.

But Jamie pulled back in confusion, which Dani used as a moment of opportunity to be sure that if she was risking everything, it wouldn’t be on someone still wrapped up in someone else... which she knew was hypocritical since she was the one wrapped up via engagement ring, but she had to know anyway.

“Do you still have feelings for Rebecca?” Dani’s eyes seared into Jamie’s, searching for an answer she hoped wouldn’t rip her heart in two.

“Rebecca? How do you even know about Rebecca?” Jamie asked incredulously.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is if you still have feelings for her. Do you?” Dani could feel her pulse ringing in her ears as she awaited the answer.

“Poppins... the only things I feel are for you. I feel everything for you...”

That was the only encouragement Dani needed to return her lips to Jamie’s in a frenzied rush of desire, and Jamie no longer hesitated to kiss her back.

They remained pressed up against the back wall for a while, mouths moving in synch, arms tangled in hair, running down backs, winding around necks. But kissing wasn’t enough. Dani was overwhelmed by the desperate need to touch Jamie everywhere, to stake her claim on her from anyone else. She longed to feel every inch of the other woman’s skin, and the preposterous amounts of clothing standing in her way were becoming increasingly frustrating.

Entirely out of her comfort zone but no longer capable of self control, Dani found her hand wandering towards the buttons of Jamie’s jeans. She paused for a moment I order to gauge Jamie’s reaction, to be sure the brunette was comfortable with where her intentions were leading her.

Jamie gave a clear nod of approval as her eyes both darkened and widened, struggling to believe this was really happening while craving it all the same.

With approval granted, Dani’s fingers returned to the buttons, slowly undoing each of three as she kept her eyes trained on Jamie’s. She was feeling so much all at once, overcome with lust and desire and about 17 other emotions she didn’t even have names for. She needed to touch Jamie, there, now. She pushed apprehension aside, and guided Jamie’s pants slowly down her thighs, trailing kisses down each as she went. 

Jamie let out a soft moan at the touch so close to where she suddenly, achingly needed it most. Dani couldn’t believe she had elicited that sound from another woman, and all she wanted was to hear it more. 

She moved her kisses higher, inching her way towards the silk fabric of the brunette’s deep red panties. She paused to run her tongue up and down either side of the only thin layer remaining keeping her from where she truly wanted to be.

Jamie gasped at the feeling of Dani’s tongue against her skin, which was deepening her arousal to an almost painful degree. She was practically vibrating with the need for Dani’s mouth to be closer, craving pressure as she rocked her hips forward. 

“Jesus Dani,” she nearly whimpered. “Look what you’re doing to me...”

Dani peered up at the brunette towering over her and felt an empowerment like she’d never known before in noting the way Jamie was coming unraveled at her slightest touch. She had never been so turned on by simply witnessing someone else’s arousal, let alone derived this much pleasure from being the one to make the other feel that way.

Dani almost wanted to take a moment to simply revel in it all, but she wouldn’t be so cruel. She took Jamie’s cues, and tugged gently at the lace band of her panties, bringing them down to match where her jeans had fallen. 

The moment they dropped her mouth was on Jamie, to which the brunette moaned gutturally in return. Dani would have been more concerned about others hearing the sound, but luckily this closet was in a wing rarely entered.

“Fuck, Dani!” Jamie nearly cried out as the blonde’s tongue pressed down against her clit. Dani was surprised at how naturally it all came to her, pleasuring a woman, but she found it easy thinking about what would feel good to her, and following suit. Clearly, there were no protests from the brunette to her methods, so she continued, picking up the pace.

She laced her tongue up and down, back and forth against Jamie’s increasingly swollen clit, hearing the brunette’s moans grow deeper and louder as she went.

“God, Dani, please, please don’t stop.” The brunette’s head was rolling back and her hips were shifting further forward, desperate for as much pressure against the blonde as she could find. 

Dani could tell Jamie was getting close, so she quickened her pace even more, adding in gentle sucking and nipping motions to the folds surrounding her sensitive centre. 

“Yes, fuck just like that.” 

Dani was being driven slowly mad with her own desire in witnessing the impact she was having on the other woman, but she remained entirely focused on the pleasure of the breathtakingly beautiful woman before her.

Jamie’s hips were bucking wildly at this point, as her breaths were growing more and more shallow. The core of her being was begging for release. Dani again followed cues, taking her fingers and softly raking her nails down Jamie’s thighs as she pressed her mouth down hard against her clit. The combination was more than enough to send the brunette over the edge.

“FUCK” Jamie cried out, clinging to the back of Dani’s head as she rode out her orgasm, which was pulsating through every inch of her body.

When the brunette had finally stilled, Dani pulled herself up and kissed the other woman gently on the lips. Jamie wrapped her arms around the blonde in return and the two remained there in a blissful silence, lost in the moment and each other. Dani felt as though she could have stayed that way forever... until a quiet knock on the closet door broke through their collective haze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME EVER WRITING SMUT I'M SO SORRY IF IT WAS CRINGE


	9. Rebecca Finds Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rebecca finds Jamie and Dani in a compromising position, forcing Jamie to confront her past relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry it took forever to update but I’m already working on the next chapter now!

“Shit” Jamie swore under her breath.

The two women scrambled to pull themselves together as Dani called out to whoever was on the other side of the door, “Coming!” Immediately noting her own poor word choice considering what had occurred only moments earlier.

Please don’t be Rebecca, anyone but Rebecca, Dani willed.

It was Rebecca. 

When the door opened there she was, staring wide eyed in shock at the state the pair were in, clearly a mess despite their best attempts to conceal what they’d been doing. 

“Jamie? What are you doing here? And why are you two in a closet?” She asked as if she hadn’t already come to the conclusion herself the moment she saw them. 

“Dani was just, see I left my jacket here and Dani was helping me find it and we, eh, got to talking so we closed the door behind us so as not to disturb you, and - and the kids.” Jamie was wildly unconvincing, as if Rebecca would have bought any of it anyway. 

Dani knew she wasn’t being remotely helpful standing there silently blushing, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak, didn’t have a clue what she’d say if she even tried.

“Miles thought he heard something, and Flora begged me to check it out. So you might consider being more careful next time you go ‘looking for jackets’ in locked closests together.” Rebecca’s words were laced with innuendo and annoyance but at least she left it at that, followed by a last look of betrayal towards Jamie, and one of coldness towards Dani. When she was gone the pair remained in an uncomfortable silence. 

“Jamie...” Dani tried.

“We shouldn’t have done this here.” She cut her off. “Rebecca still has feelings for me and though I’m not exactly fond of the woman in return it still wasn’t fair to her, to find out I’ve moved on. Not like this.” 

It wasn’t fair to Edmund, either, Dani thought with a pang of regret. 

Before she could respond, Jamie pushed past her and disappeared down the hall, leaving Dani alone and more confused than ever.

Later that night Dani was washing dishes when she heard a soft knock on her front door. Being that she was home alone she went to peek through the blinds before answering, and was surprised to find a soaking wet Jamie shivering in the pouring rain. She quickly opened the door and ushered her in from the cold. 

“I’m sorry to just show up here without calling,” she whispered through chattering teeth. “Is... is he home?” Obviously referring to Edmund.

“No, he’s been traveling more than usual lately, I-” Dani started to add more detail about the reasons she felt Edmund had been away so often, as she felt sure it was entirely to do with her own distance from, and coldness toward him while he was home. But she knew Jamie wouldn’t care to hear about that, and looking at the brunette woman in front of her, water dripping from dark wet curls, looking cuter than she imagined anyone could possibly look in an oversized raincoat, she knew she had no interest in further mention of him either. 

“Let’s get you some dry clothes,” she offered instead, “then we can talk.”

“No floral.” Jamie joked with a soft laugh that made Dani crack a smile. “I’ve seen that full length floral get-up of yours and while you look marvelous in it I’m afraid it’s not quite my style, Poppins.”

“No floral.” Dani laughed back. “Promise.”

Jamie made her way to the bathroom and left the door cracked as she changed, exactly the same as she had her first night there which suddenly felt so long ago though it had only been, what, two days? Could that even be possible? How could things be happening so quickly when it felt like it was taking centuries to get to where she wanted to be with Jamie. Though she still wasn’t entirely sure where that was given her current state of engagement. But for once she turned her thoughts away from all that and toward Jamie instead.

When she’d first been in this situation she had looked away, refusing to so much as glance at the other woman, denying everything her body and mind and soul were telling her she wanted. But so much had changed now that she knew what it was like to touch Jamie, to feel her body against her own, and now it was all she wanted to do. 

With a boldness she never would have exercised before, Dani stepped through the cracked doorway into the bathroom behind Jamie, and softly wrapped her arms around the brunette’s bare chest. She trailed her fingers along her skin, leading a hand to cup one of Jamie’s breasts as she placed light kisses down the back of her neck.

Jamie quietly gasped at the feeling of Dani’s warm hands on her chilled, rain soaked body. The touch felt so right, and was so wanted that she allowed herself to sink into the moment, but only briefly, before remembering her reasoning for being there in the first place. 

“Dani, I didn’t come here for this.” Jamie started, causing Dani to immediately freeze in a panic that she may have overstepped, and she began to pull her hands away but Jamie clasped them back tightly with her own.

“Wait, I don’t mean to say this isn’t welcome, trust me it’s more than welcome.” Jamie continued, and Dani relaxed. “It’s just that I can’t let it continue before I properly apologize.” 

The conversion continued with Jamie’s back to Dani, but the mirror fastened to the wall before them allowed Dani to see the other woman’s pained expression. It was clear she felt guilty for the way they had left things earlier. 

“It wasn’t fair to treat you that way, to put the feelings of a woman who hurt me before the feelings of the one...healing me.” Dani blushed at the sentiment, though it was hard to believe she could be doing the same for Jamie that Jamie was for her. 

“Especially when that must have been...Dani was I the first woman you’d ever been with?” Jamie questioned with almost a hint of pride, as though she’d consider it an honor if it was the case.

Dani’s blush deepened as she replied coyly, “Yes, you were. And was I, was it ok?” she asked, embarrassed to be doing so but too curious of the answer not to. 

“Ok? Dani, you were perfect.” She turned now to face the blonde, and wanting to make it abundantly clear she meant what she was saying she reiterated, “You are perfect.”

The brunette gently cupped the blonde’s face with her hands and the two locked eyes as Jamie leaned in for a slow kiss, solidifying her words even further. The pair were so obviously equally enamored with each other, something Dani had never experienced before. She had never felt so attracted to another human in her entire life.

The kiss deepened. Their time together earlier had been so rushed, Dani had been so desperate to get as close to Jamie as possible as quickly as she could, but now she had the luxury of time, and she planned to take full advantage of it.

She led Jamie to the bedroom, filled with lustful intentions to have her way with the other woman once again, but Jamie had plans of her own. Before Dani could make another move, Jamie had her pinned down on the bed, her own body on top of the blonde’s, placing her thigh directly between the area where Dani was already aching with desire.

“You had your turn earlier, Poppins” the brunette taunted with a smirk, “it’s mine now.”

Jamie’s lips were on Dani’s before she could protest, and then they were on her neck, leaving playful nips in a trail all the way down to her stomach and back up again. 

Each touch felt electric on Dani’s skin, each made her long for more, to feel Jamie on every inch of her body. She pulled the other woman’s thigh in closer, desperate for more pressure against where she needed it most. Jamie chuckled at her impatience, and instead of giving in to Dani’s needs right away, she pulled back and replaced her leg with her mouth instead. 

The blonde let out a deep moan the moment the brunette’s tongue grazed her clit. This was something she’d never let anyone do to her before because she’d never wanted it before, but now there wasn’t anything she could possibly want more.

Jamie’s tongue laced circular patterns around Dani’s clit, teasing her more and more with every stroke. Every so often she’d fully enclose Dani’s centre, sucking gently, causing the blonde’s hips to buck forward each time. Then the brunette would start the pattern over again and continued until Dani could hardly stand it.

“I want you inside of me.” Dani whispered breathily. “Please.”

Jamie wouldn’t dream of denying the request. She wanted nothing more than to make Dani feel even a fraction as incredible as she had made her feel earlier.

Jamie slowly slipped one finger inside of the blonde, noting Dani’s breath hitching as she did. Then she added another, and this time Dani couldn’t contain a moan, which Jamie couldn’t help smirking with pride about inducing. 

The brunette started moving her fingers in and out in a pulling motion, using her thumb to continue to circle Dani’s clit at the same time.

“God,” Dani nearly cried out, “I’m so close Jamie.”

Jamie picked up speed as Dani’s breathing grew more and more shallow, and her moans deeper and more desperate.

“I’m gonna come,” she whispered almost inaudibly. 

“Don’t say it, show me.” Jamie replied breathily in return, locking eyes with the blonde. 

And Dani did, her hips swung forward and her legs clamped down around Jamie’s hand as she rode out her orgasm, and was left shaking and breathless and feeling more fulfilled than she’d ever felt in her life. 

Jamie moved up beside Dani, placing a light kiss on her lips and wrapping her arms tightly around her.

“I’m glad you had your turn.” The blonde said with a chuckle that Jamie returned. She paused before adding, “I’m so glad you’re here Jamie.”

“Me too Poppins,” She responded while softly stroking blonde strands of hair away from Dani’s face and tucking them behind her ear. “I reckon there’s no where I’d rather be.”

The two fell asleep not long after, their bodies intertwined, both drifting off into the deepest, most restful night sleep either had ever had.


End file.
